Geoffrey Ammer has beennamed president of worldwide marketing for the Columbia TriStar Motion PictureGroup with responsibility for the studio's marketing, publicity andpromotional divisions. He will continue to report to Sony Pictures Entertainment(SPE) vice chairman Jeff Blake, who made the announcement today (Jan 27). Aveteran marketing executive, Ammer joined the company in Sep 2001 as domesticmarketing president for the Columbia TriStar Marketing Group. During his tenurehe has been responsible for leading the marketing team on eight number onepictures including, among others, Spider-Man, XXX, Men in Black II, Mr Deeds and Darkness Falls, which opened top of the charts over the weekend.

Blake cited Ammer as apivotal player in the studio's record-breaking year in 2002, adding in aprepared statement. "With the growing significance of worldwideday-and-date releases, Geoff will be a critical asset to our internationaldivision. He is one of the most consistently imaginative, strategic and successfulmarketing executives working today and I know he will bring to the worldwideteam the same enthusiasm, vision and success that he brought to our domesticoperation."

Ammer joined SPE fromRevolution Studios, where he worked on worldwide marketing and distribution.Prior to that he was co-president of marketing at Buena Vista Motion PicturesGroup and served 12 years at Twentieth Century Fox Films, where he eventuallybecame senior vice president of marketing. In 2002, Ammer and Blake were namedEntertainment Marketers of the Year, by Brandweek Magazine. He is currentlydeveloping campaigns for a slate of Columbia and Revolution Studios releasesthat includes: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu;Bad Boys II, starring Will Smithand Martin Lawrence; Anger Management, starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler; and Hollywood Homicide, starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett.